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Tsholotsho Gukurahundi victims demand apology

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BY NIZBERT MOYO

A Gukurahundi survivor Hlanganiso Sithole (76) from Sikhale line in Matabeleland North’s Tsholotsho district still bears the scars of the torture he endured at the hands of the Fifth Brigade.

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Sithole said his three brothers were shot dead in June 1984 while he managed to escape from the firing squad.

“There were four of us where we were seated at one of the family homestead,” he narrated the events of the day

“Soldiers approached us and accused us of being dissidents. During that process one of my brothers, Oscar, had gone to the toilet while they were interrogating us and by the time he came back they attacked accusing him of being a dissident…

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“While we were still shocked, they started firing. My three brothers were killed instantly.

“I survived through the grace of the Lord because I could not believe it was me but God’s hand, at play.”

He is one of the many survivors of the 1980’s Gukurahundi massacres demanding answers for the torture they endured at the hands of the Fifth Brigade.

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In July this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa officially launched the Gukurahundi outreach programme in Bulawayo where he said the program would be led by the chiefs.

The programme has failed to take off amid indications that a budget for the exercise has not been released.

Some of the victims told Southern Eye on Sunday that they want an apology and compensation before they can die due to old age.

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A visit to Tsholotsho on Wednesday by Southern Eye on Sunday revealed that the majority of villagers are still traumatised by the torture, rape and killings.

“These people were killing anyone whom they come across with, even the police were telling us that they are afraid of them because they could be killed as well,” Sithole claimed.

“I am an innocent man, I need compensation.”

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An elderly woman said she has not overcome the trauma of rape at the hands of the Fifth Brigade.

“I still recall that it was on a Monday, “ the woman who cannot be identified by name for ethical reasons said.

“They tortured my husband and left him for dead.

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“They found me putting on a maternity dress which I was given by my youngster who had given birth.

“One of the soldiers was stopped by his colleagues after he tried to spear my stomach with his bayonet accusing me of bearing a dissident in my stomach.”

He husband succumbed to the torture injuries, she said.

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“One of the soldiers raped me and continued coming to me every day at night,” she said.

No definitive death toll has been established but the late Robert Mugabe’s Fifth Brigade, trained by North Korean instructors, is estimated to have killed up to 20,000 people between 1983 and 1987.

Mnangagwa is accused of being the architect of the killings as he was State Security minister at the time.

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SOURCE: SOUTHERN EYE

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Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

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Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

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Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.

 

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UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

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BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo has provided an update on the condition of two rangers who were injured earlier this week by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area.

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The rangers, who were investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo, encountered a herd of elephants with calves that charged at them.

According to the update, one of the rangers has undergone treatment for his left arm and is currently in a stable condition.

The other ranger had a successful abdominal operation and is currently receiving surgery for his broken left arm and left leg.

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The incident highlights the dangers faced by wildlife rangers in Zimbabwe. In a similar incident in March 2025, a Zimparks ranger was killed by an elephant in Kariba during a routine patrol in the Gatche-gatche area.

The authority has encouraged people to minimize movements at night to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.

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Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

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BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

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The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

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He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

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Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

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